Summer Jazz Series Mats Eilertsen Trio

This summer Scandinavia House hosts performances from some of Scandinavia’s most talented young jazz musicians, composers, and singers over five consecutive Thursdays, June 23 through July 21. All Summer Jazz concerts will be preceded by a reception on the Volvo Hall terrace starting at 6 PM.

Mats Eilertsen, one of the finest and most distinctive bass players in the contemporary Norwegian jazz scene, leads his eponymous trio in a search for new sounds. With a warm and lyrical attention to the bass, the trio merges consistency with experimentation, and performs with a winning openness.

About the Mats Eilertsen Trio

Norwegian bassist Mats Eilertsen’s skills and musical maturity make him the perfect trio member. He has a warm and lyrical approach to the bass and is constantly searching for new sounds. Eilertsen is a highly sought after musical collaborator and can also be heard as a member of the three ECM-associated groups: Tord Gustavsen Ensemble, the Source, and the Wolfert Brederode Quartet. He has performed on numerous recordings and has also had the opportunity to perform with a number of international stars including Pat Metheney, Joshua Redman, Lee Konitz, Bobo Stenson, Kenny Wheeler, Tomasz Stanko, Arve Henriksen, Solveig Slettahjell, and Sonny Simmons.

Dutch pianist Harmen Fraanje and Norwegian percussionist Thomas Strønen roun out the trio. Fraanje’s impressive musical career is built on numerous collaborations across a variety of genres—jazz, world, and classical. In addition to performing with the Mats Eilertsen Trio, Fraanje is connected with a number of trend-setting groups, such as those of Eric Vloeimans and American saxophonist Michael Moore. Fraanje’s most recent project consists of his Avalonia Trio, with which he released the album Avalonia in 2015. Strønen is the founder and leader of the Norwegian/British band Food, with British saxaphone player Iain Ballamy. He’s also one half of the duo Humcrush with keyboardist Ståle Storløkken. Strønen also writes music for string quartet.